J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s Profile

Recent Comments

From Serious Eats

Are You a Food Outlier?

Michael Pollan has three books on the Amazon top 100, including the #2 slot. That's as mainstream as it gets!

From A Hamburger Today

Leftovers: The Day's Stray Links

@Avocado

I think it's a misguided attempt to help it form a crust without overcooking the center. The idea is that you deep-chill it so that the middle stays cool while you sear the exterior. In my experience, it just makes the exterior more difficult to sear, and creates a more unevenly cooked burger. I still need to do some more testing on this one though.

I'd take that whole article with a grain of salt. Anyone who puts Bartley's on a "best of" list has probably never really tasted a Bartley's burger (blah), and to call Bristol's burger unashamedly simple when it's house-made and served on a house-made bun is just wrong.

It's hard to find a good review in any of the Boston publications - most of them are just thinly veiled PR in disguise.

8 burgers mentioned, and not a single bad thing to say about any of them? Really?

From Recipes

The Nasty Bits: Chongqing-style Penis with Wolfberries [Valentine's Day Edition]

@chichi

Have you tried other types of Penis? I hear that duck penis and cobra penis are both eaten (though as with beef, probably more for superstition than good flavor). And how does the beef penis compare to testicles (which I find to also be relatively bland and soft)?

@sailordave
meanwhile, I spent most of superbowl sunday slowing stewing on the couch surrounded by a bunch of dicks (just kidding, I love my friends. Sort of). I suppose it was inevitable that this thread would at some point devolve into penis jokes, right?

From Talk

Need tofu recipe ideas!

@hmw0029

I'd never heard him speak before. Funny.

My mom used to make stuff from the packets when she was lazy. I actually kind of like it in the same way that I kind of like spaghetti-o's, Devilicious, and frozen Swanson chicken pot pies. Though the last time I had it was a few years ago. Maybe I'm due for another tasting.

But yes, good point. Japanese people tend to like their food sweeter and gloppier than Chinese.

Actually, I don't know what your experience in Japan is, but I've found that of all the places I've been to in the world, Japan is the place that translates foreign cuisines the worst. I've had the worst Chinese food of my life there (really, really, really horrible), the worst "American" food (a weirdly sweet hot dog topped with potato salad), the worst pizza (with penne, worcestershire, and mayo), and the worst German (gravy-laden "hamurg" steak). It's shocking to me that their own cuisine can be so great, but that they perform such atrocious horrors on others'!

See more comments by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt »

Recent Posts

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: In Search of the Best Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

From Recipes

Really Good Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Which Makes A Better Burger, Grass-Fed or Grain?

From Recipes

Rabbit, Prune, and Onion Pie

See more posts by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt »

Recent Favorites

From Serious Eats

Taste Test: Baked vs. Fried Buffalo Wings

From Serious Eats

Seriously Asian: Claypot Rice with Chinese Sausage

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: How To Make The Best Chili Ever

From Slice

The Food Lab: Is Good Pizza Really All About the Water?

See more favorites by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt »

Recent Polls

From A Hamburger Today

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Raw" to How Do You Like Onions on Your Burger?

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Soda" to What Do You Call Cola Drinks

From A Hamburger Today

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Yes." to Have You Sent Back Burgers for Not Being Cooked to Your Requested Doneness?

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Fairway" to What's Your Favorite Grocery Chain?

Recent Quizzes

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt got 77% correct on How Much Do You Know About New Orleans Food Culture?

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt got 50% correct on How Much Do You Know About Vegan Substitutes?

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt got 75% correct on Winter Vegetables Quiz

See more polls and quizzes by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt »

Recent Comments

From Serious Eats

Are You a Food Outlier?

Michael Pollan has three books on the Amazon top 100, including the #2 slot. That's as mainstream as it gets!

From A Hamburger Today

Leftovers: The Day's Stray Links

@Avocado

I think it's a misguided attempt to help it form a crust without overcooking the center. The idea is that you deep-chill it so that the middle stays cool while you sear the exterior. In my experience, it just makes the exterior more difficult to sear, and creates a more unevenly cooked burger. I still need to do some more testing on this one though.

I'd take that whole article with a grain of salt. Anyone who puts Bartley's on a "best of" list has probably never really tasted a Bartley's burger (blah), and to call Bristol's burger unashamedly simple when it's house-made and served on a house-made bun is just wrong.

It's hard to find a good review in any of the Boston publications - most of them are just thinly veiled PR in disguise.

8 burgers mentioned, and not a single bad thing to say about any of them? Really?

From Recipes

The Nasty Bits: Chongqing-style Penis with Wolfberries [Valentine's Day Edition]

@chichi

Have you tried other types of Penis? I hear that duck penis and cobra penis are both eaten (though as with beef, probably more for superstition than good flavor). And how does the beef penis compare to testicles (which I find to also be relatively bland and soft)?

@sailordave
meanwhile, I spent most of superbowl sunday slowing stewing on the couch surrounded by a bunch of dicks (just kidding, I love my friends. Sort of). I suppose it was inevitable that this thread would at some point devolve into penis jokes, right?

From Talk

Need tofu recipe ideas!

@hmw0029

I'd never heard him speak before. Funny.

My mom used to make stuff from the packets when she was lazy. I actually kind of like it in the same way that I kind of like spaghetti-o's, Devilicious, and frozen Swanson chicken pot pies. Though the last time I had it was a few years ago. Maybe I'm due for another tasting.

But yes, good point. Japanese people tend to like their food sweeter and gloppier than Chinese.

Actually, I don't know what your experience in Japan is, but I've found that of all the places I've been to in the world, Japan is the place that translates foreign cuisines the worst. I've had the worst Chinese food of my life there (really, really, really horrible), the worst "American" food (a weirdly sweet hot dog topped with potato salad), the worst pizza (with penne, worcestershire, and mayo), and the worst German (gravy-laden "hamurg" steak). It's shocking to me that their own cuisine can be so great, but that they perform such atrocious horrors on others'!

From Talk

"Grainy" chili...what went wrong?

I think it's the turkey. Depending on if it was ground properly or not (IE, kept well chilled duirng the process, proper storage, and equipment), ground meat can squeeze out bits of protein-lade liquid that then firm up and suspend in the liquid. I don't know that there's an easy way to avoid it other than to shorten the cooking time, lower the heat, add the turkey close to the end, or just hope you have a better batch of turkey next time.

Salting the meat a day in advance and grinding it yourself will help the proteins bind together better, and might alleviate part of the problem, but maybe it's not worth the extra effort.

From Recipes

The Nasty Bits: Chongqing-style Penis with Wolfberries [Valentine's Day Edition]

@RossS

I really hope you didn't just mean to say that you'd rather try a beef penis in situ, and if you did...

well... gross!

From Talk

Need tofu recipe ideas!

@hmw0029

Interesting. The Japanese version of the dish is very different from the Sichuan version. I grew up eating my mom's Japanese version, whichi is gloppier, and has far less chili oil in it, and doesn't use sichuan peppercorns, which in my opinion, are essential - you can't get the ma-la. The real sichuan stuff has a layer of it coating the top. Soooooo good.

The version he's making seems to be a kind of hybrid. It has a lot of cornstarch-thickened broth like the Japanese version, but he finishes it with a touch of chili oil and sichuan pepper. Looks delicious!

The best instructions he gives: "ingredients and measurements are important, but even more important is that you taste it yourself and check that it's good" (or something to that effect - my Japanese is far from perfect).

Thanks for the video!

Kenji

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: In Search of the Best Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@resolutejc

All I can say is: If you've found a method that works for you, stick with it!

From Talk

Need tofu recipe ideas!

Mapo dofu is probably my all time favorite dish, and I"ve had the best version I've ever eaten at Fuloon restaurant in Malden, MA. I wrote a piece about it for the Globe last year, which you can find here. The recipe I adapted from the chef there is here. I's incredible!

It does, however, use semi-firm silken tofu, not the spongier kind. Essential for getting the texture right.

From Recipes

The Nasty Bits: Chongqing-style Penis with Wolfberries [Valentine's Day Edition]

Interesting. I've yet to try penis either, though the frozen packs of pizzle at the Chinese supermarket have always piqued my interest. I told you this the other day, but my general rule for offal is: if it's bland or mushy, bread it, and deep fry it. Provides texture, and plenty of surface area for sauce to cling to and hopefully relieve some blandness. Though then you have to ask yourself, "what's the point?"

An anatomical note: the vas deferens, if I remember 9th grade bio correctly, connects the epididymis to the ejaculatory ducts, which then connect to the urethra, which is the only part that is actually in the penis. To get at the vas deferens, you'd need to buy an intact penis/testicle combo pack (an altogether more delicious item), though I don't think those are ever seen anywhere except in situ.

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: In Search of the Best Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@resolutjc

Did you try these wings? You can't tell that there's baking powder on them - it's not a batter or even a dredging in the normal sense of the word. The coating is so thin you can't perceive it, other than its effect on the skin. They seem completely naturally crisp, like they do when you fry them.

I tested Alton's method vs. normal baked wings. I know he never says that the end result will be better than normal wings, and he's right - they're not. They also don't release much fat when you steam them - a teaspoon per dozen wings or so, which does nothing to help with the smoking problem, which, in my opinion, was greatly exaggerated on that episode of Good Eats. Besides, there are simpler solutions if you don't like smoke - cover the bottom of your pan with a piece of crinkled, perforated aluminum foil.

If you read the article, you'll see that I did try basting with butter and with oil, with no great effect. Have you tried tasting a chicken basted with butter side by side with one that's not basted? I did pretty extensive testing of that when I was working on a crisp-skin roast chicken recipe a couple years ago, and found the opposite to be the case - basting with butter adds moisture (depending on your butter, it's about 10-14% water), which softens the skin rather than crisps it. I'm not saying you can't get crispy skin with butter, just that it will not be as crisp as without.

Definitely more work can always be done on any recipe, which for me, is one of the things that makes cooking great. There's always more to explore and more to learn.

From Serious Eats

Can You Learn to Cook from Cookbooks?

@winternutt

You can do them in your own kitchen, but there are details that can't be caught just by reading a book, no matter how good the pictures are. I practiced julienning and making hollandaise and fluting mushrooms for years based on Jacques Pepin's techniques books, but it was only after I met some really good cooks that I realized that what I was doing was at best a pale imitation of the full potential of what could be accomplished. I don't think I'd ever have learned how to do it right without something to compare my results to.

I can guarantee you that Tom Colicchio learned the majority of his craft on the line, actually applying what he learned from Pepin's books, not just by looking at the books and practicing by himself at home.

Geez, I don't want to sound like this at all. If I'm coming off as saying that you can't be a good cook unless you spend years working in a restaurant, that's not what I mean to sound like at all - please don't get me wrong.

Winternutt, I think we basically agree - yes, you can learn things by doing over and over and over by yourself and learning from books, but you'll never get anywhere near where you can get by having a mentor (be it a chef or a mother) who can teach you from experience.

Maybe it's like playing chess: yes, you can learn the rules on your own, and play enough games that eventually you might become great, but the truth is, the game is so complicated, that if you want to truly excel, you need a teacher who will show you the basic tricks - the positions that come up again and again, and how to recognize and deal with them. Classic blunders that have been made and learned from through thousands of years of shared knowledge. It's possible you'll stumble onto these techniques and blunders on your own, but it's not likely that you'll cover all of them.

From Serious Eats

Can You Learn to Cook from Cookbooks?

Ok - take back my statement. It's possible to learn from books, just much much much much harder, to the point where I doubt that 1 in 10 people could learn in a lifetime of solely book-learning the same as the average person could learn with a month of real time spent in the kitchen with a good cook.

Don't get me wrong - both are necessary. I learnt many things about theory, technique, and science that I never would have learned in a professional kitchen, let alone learned correctly. But without good time spent in the kitchen learning how to taste things, how to handle food, handle a knife, handle heat, it's impossible to apply the things that you learn in books to the real world.

From Serious Eats

Can You Learn to Cook from Cookbooks?

Absolutely not possible to learn from cookbooks alone. Simple example: knowing how to season something properly. You can't taste the salt level from the pages of a book - you need to get into the kitchen and do it.

From Recipes

Cakespy: Chocolate Avocado Cake With Avocado Buttercream

@cakespy

I'm allergic to avocado!

At least on its own, when raw. Same thing for a few other vegetables (if I'm not careful washing my hands/face after peeling potatoes and carrots I get big red bumps wherever the juice was).

The funny thing is, if you mash it up and mix it with an acid, it's ok (to a degree). Same thing with apples and pears and stone fruit. I know one other person who has the same reaction.

"Sweet guacamole, Batman! What's in this frosting?"

From A Hamburger Today

Video: In-N-Out Burger in 'Google Search Stories' Ad

Quick plug: My sister's boyfriend did all the sound and music for that Parisian Love Google ad. Cool!

From Slice

Frank Pepe's Head-to-Head (Yonkers vs. New Haven)

Nice comparison. Love the calipers too.

I was skeptical about it, but now I've definitely got to try it for myself.Was the line as bad at the Yonkers location, or did having two ovens help? The last four times I've been through New Haven, I've driven down Wooster street then kept driving right on by to Modern when I saw the line scooting way out the front door. It'd be nice to know that there's a closer, line-free option available...

From Recipes

Really Good Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@bundito
Salt is really for flavor, and a little bit of help with moisture retention (like a brine), but you could do without it.

@Ferrari
How long were they in the oven for, and how light were they? Were they ligheter than the first picture on this page? They won't get too much darker than that. You might leave them in the oven a little longer, but the real goal is to get them nice and crispy, so if that worked, I'd say it was a success!

Kenji

From Recipes

Really Good Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@tjtoed

Funny you ask - I just baked off a batch that I had in the fridge for a full 36 hours. Worked fine. And @bundito - I fried some of that batch as well, and it also works. Didn't do side by side with plain fried, but they seemed to be better than normal fried wings. Great either way.

KEnji

From Recipes

Really Good Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@bruisedbuddha

I leave them on the rack, but you could do them in a sheet pan lined with parchment if you'd like. I wouldn't put them on a bare pan, as they are likely to stick.

From Recipes

Really Good Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@katieineurope

have a thermometer? As long as it's below 40 degrees or so, you should be fine. I actually left some wings out on my deck overnight because I had to do several batches of wings at once and there's no room in my fridge for 12 pounds of drying wings...

From Recipes

Really Good Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@semarr

If you don't have one, skip the rack and just use parchment paper. Should work fine.

@leghana
em... that "black material" would be several years of burnt-on high testosterone kitchen experiments...

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: In Search of the Best Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@sbroadway

Ah, but interesting! If you go down to the comments section of Nick's blog, one of the top commenters says that she tried it with Buffalo wings for her superbowl party!

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: In Search of the Best Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

@sboradway

heh... that Paupered Chef recipe is from Cook's Illustrated (it's their "crisp-skin roast chicken" recipe). It just happens to be my name on that by-line :)**

**ok,ok, at that point I was still just plain J. Kenji Alt, but I swear it's me!

From A Hamburger Today

10 Burgers in One Night at the 2010 Boston Burger Bash

@Lex Kap

hmm... I don't think I have quite the figure that that girl does. I'll have to find a men's version somewhere.

Recent Posts

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: In Search of the Best Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

From Recipes

Really Good Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Which Makes A Better Burger, Grass-Fed or Grain?

From Recipes

Rabbit, Prune, and Onion Pie

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: How To Make The Best Chili Ever

From Recipes

The Best Chili Ever

From Recipes

Perfect French Fries: Iteration 1

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Why Double Fry French Fries?

From Serious Eats

Are Heirloom Wheat Varieties the Next Big Baking Trend?

From Slice

The Food Lab: Is Good Pizza Really All About the Water?

From Talk

Does anyone else have SE "finger memory"?

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab's First Annual Burger (Outstanding) of the Year (The B.O.O.T.Y.)

From Serious Eats

The $449 SousVide Supreme: Worth It?

From Recipes

Salted Oatmeal Cookies

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: How to Cook a Perfect Prime Rib

From Recipes

Perfect Prime Rib

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Salting Ground Beef

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: The Importance of Resting Meat

From Recipes

Pan-Seared Steaks with Red Wine Pan Sauce

From A Hamburger Today

Top 5: Kenji Lopez-Alt's Favorite Burgers in Boston

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: Turkey Stuffed Turkey

From Recipes

Turkey Stuffed Turkey with Gravy

From Talk

Pet Peeve: it's "ballotine," not "balantine".

From Recipes

Seriously Meaty Turkey Burgers

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Turkey Burgers That Don't Suck

Recent Favorites

From Serious Eats

Taste Test: Baked vs. Fried Buffalo Wings

From Serious Eats

Seriously Asian: Claypot Rice with Chinese Sausage

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: How To Make The Best Chili Ever

From Slice

The Food Lab: Is Good Pizza Really All About the Water?

From Recipes

Seriously Asian: Scrambled Tofu

From Serious Eats

The Inaugural Serious Eats Cookie Swap

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Mastering the Art of Burger Blending with Eight Cuts of Beef

From Recipes

Perfect Prime Rib

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: How to Cook a Perfect Prime Rib

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Salting Ground Beef

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: The Importance of Resting Meat

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Turkey Burgers That Don't Suck

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: Turkey Brining Basics

From Photograzing

Dr. Frankenstein's Lab

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: Bacon Attack!

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise

From Serious Eats

Video: André Soltner Makes an Omelet

From Recipes

The Fake Shack (or the Shack Burger at Home)

From A Hamburger Today

The Burger Lab: The Fake Shack

From Serious Eats

The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs

From Photograzing

Cheeseburger with wild chickweed

From Photograzing

COM's Burger

From Photograzing

Pauli Gee's Arugula Pizza

From Photograzing

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

From Photograzing

Chicken Liver Mousse with Stellaria

Polls

From A Hamburger Today

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Raw" to How Do You Like Onions on Your Burger?

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Soda" to What Do You Call Cola Drinks

From A Hamburger Today

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Yes." to Have You Sent Back Burgers for Not Being Cooked to Your Requested Doneness?

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Fairway" to What's Your Favorite Grocery Chain?

From Serious Eats: New York

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Gray's Papaya" to What's the Best Hot Dog in New York?

From A Hamburger Today

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt answered "Buffalo" to What's Your Favorite Non-Beef Burger?

Quizzes

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt got 77% correct on How Much Do You Know About New Orleans Food Culture?

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt got 50% correct on How Much Do You Know About Vegan Substitutes?

From Serious Eats

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt got 75% correct on Winter Vegetables Quiz

About J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Website: http://www.goodeater.org

Location: goodeaterkenji

About: I love dead animals, live vegetables, and hamburgers.

Favorite foods: The pig

Last bite on earth: Anything but my tongue.